


Fight or Flight

by one_irrelevant_ghost



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, and then have the feels punched away, gavin tries to punch away the feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-18
Updated: 2018-10-18
Packaged: 2019-08-03 18:29:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16331285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/one_irrelevant_ghost/pseuds/one_irrelevant_ghost
Summary: "'What's the quickest way to provoke an angry old drunk?' Gavin mused rhetorically to himself as he reeled back from Anderson's sucker punch, blood already draining from his nose. 'Easy. Insult his fuckbot.'"A very short thing wherein Gavin has terrible coping mechanisms, go figure, and Nines is Concerned(tm)





	Fight or Flight

_What's the quickest way to provoke an angry old drunk?_ Gavin mused rhetorically to himself as he reeled back from Anderson's sucker punch, blood already draining from his nose. _Easy. Insult his fuckbot._

In all honesty, Gavin's hatred for the lieutenant and his plastic twink had waned to the point of nonexistence since he had been forcibly partnered with Nines. His hatred for his partner had vanished as well, in a surprisingly short amount of time. Hard to keep despising someone who had already taken a bullet for you. Gavin had even agreed to lay off Connor at Nines' request--firm insistence, really-- and the two detectives and their androids had been making slow steps towards coexistence.

Not that any of that mattered as Gavin's head snapped back from another sharp blow, the lieutenant's grip on his jacket and shirt collar the only thing that kept him from stumbling backwards.

Gavin deserved it, really, had known that this would happen the moment he opened his mouth. As far as coping mechanisms went, Gavin knew that his were painfully underdeveloped. The case he and Nines had been working hit another dead end. Literally. Another body turned up, another android torn apart and left strung out, limbs and torso and head connected only by several feet of unraveled tubing and wires. It bothered Gavin more than he cared to admit, especially as he heard the android's human partner wailing miserably, trying to fight the officers that held her back, kept her away from her dead lover. But the entire scene was scrubbed clean, and Nines voiced his theory that the AX400 had been killed somewhere else. No DNA. Not even a trace of thirium anywhere at the scene, he said.

Gavin had moved a few feet away to slam his fist into a part of the brick wall that wasn't being combed for nonexistent evidence. It was the third murder following the same M.O., and each scene had gotten cleaner and cleaner. They had a DNA sample from the first scene, matching no one in the system, a tire tread from the second scene that happened to be from a default tire on the most popular car model in Detroit, and absolutely jack-all from the most recent scene. The detective couldn't stand the look on Nines' face as his bloodied his fist against the wall. Hated the concern, the complete lack of judgement, the way he leaned too close and wrapped a too-soft hand around Gavin's wrist to stop the next blow.

The way he didn't react when Gavin answered the kindness by taking a swing at him with his free arm instead. Nines just let himself roll back with the punch, minimizing the damage to Gavin's hand.

Nauseous with anger--at the lack of a lead, at himself, at Nines' unwavering loyalty and the way he just unflappably bore whatever undeserved bullshit Gavin threw his way-- Gavin's instincts switched in an moment from fight to flight. He wrenched his wrist away from Nines' grip with far too much force, given how lightly the android was holding it. Nines didn't even have the decency to look offended, just confused. Concerned.

And Gavin had left his partner standing just like that, snow lightly gathering in his dark hair, on his shoulders, on his eyelashes, looking like a goddamn model except for the thin trail of thirium that slid from the corner of his mouth. Nines had ridden with Gavin to the scene, as he always did, but that didn't stop Gavin for an instant. Whether Nines had called a cab or gotten a ride from another officer back to the precinct, Gavin wasn't sure, but the android reappeared at his desk later with a cup of coffee for the detective, as if nothing had happened.  
The damn tin can only ever brought Gavin coffee when he had made a complete ass of himself. Which was frequently enough to be a near daily occurrence. Fuck if Gavin knew why his partner did it. Could've been a peace offering, or a show of forgiveness, or even-- maybe it was just a subtle way for Nines to show his concern for the detective. A friendly gesture. Gavin couldn't fucking deal with it, with the undirected anger, with the guilt. So much guilt. Gavin wanted to put his fist through the wall, to overturn his desk, to scream his lungs out.

Anderson had just been an easy outlet. Gavin knew all the right ways to piss the grizzled lieutenant off, get him mad enough to swing first. It was a low blow, targeting his relationship with Connor, insinuating that the android wasn’t much more than an over-glorified flesh light, that Hank was using his partner like the object Connor had once been. The object he still was, deviant or not; that had been the insult that had done the trick. Connor was only one of the detective's many sensitive topics, but even Gavin wasn't a big enough piece of shit to bring up the kid. There were some lines he knew not to cross, even in his red-blind anger. Besides, it just wasn't necessary. Hank swung, popped Gavin right in the nose and a starburst of pain lit up behind the detective's eyes.

Another punch, and another, and Gavin pulled his punches when he hit back, only doing so because he knew the lieutenant would stop swinging if he wasn't fighting back. He thought he heard Connor shouting something, panic edged in his generally cheerful voice. Gavin closed his eyes, readying himself as Hank pulled his arm back again…

And suddenly Hank relinquished his hold on Gavin's clothes, and Gavin did some ungraceful stumbling to save himself from falling flat on his ass. He opened his eyes, staring at the broad back of Nines' Cyberlife jacket rather than Hank's red, furious face. Black flecks floated through his vision for a moment as he stabilized himself.

"Lieutenant Anderson," came a voice like a knife, and the entire room dropped into near-silence. Gavin couldn't see his partner's face, but he knew what it looked like from the sound of the android's voice. Hard and almost devoid of emotion, except for the flash of restrained anger brewing in his grey eyes. "Any further attempts to attack Detective Reed will be met by immediate restraining."

"Fuck off, Nines," Gavin half-panted, pained and angry. "I can fucking handle this."

"Connor, I suggest you keep your human away from mine," Nines growled, not acknowledging Gavin's protests in the slightest. Connor obeyed immediately; Gavin hadn't realized how close the softer android had moved once Nines' had intervened, but now it only took him a single step to get between Hank and the others, pulling him away with a hand on his arm.

Hank was hurling insults the entire time. Very rich of Gavin to talk shit about Connor, the old fuck announced loudly, when his own robot nanny came to his rescue every time. Gavin didn't even have the energy to retort beyond a single extended middle finger.

The detective straightened his jacket with a false sense of pride, suddenly aware that the scene had drawn the attention of the entire department. Their colleagues didn't even have the decency to look like they weren't watching the drama. His desk was on the other side of the bullpen, a decently long walk of shame, and Gavin was prepared to take it with his haughty dignity more or less intact.

He hadn't even taken the first step when Nines whirled around on him, fixing him with a stare that was cold enough to freeze the hardened detective in place. His LED was yellow, yellow, yellow, pulsing erratically. More than just scanning the detective. Gavin scowled right back at him, lacking any authenticity.

"You require medical attention." Nines said through his teeth. Gavin wondered if everyone else could tell how difficult it was for the android to keep his cool; could they all see the added tenseness beneath Nines' already rigid stance, or the vibration of energy that thrummed from his hands as they twitched, threatened to curl into fists?

"No I fucking don't," Gavin shot back, challenging. He lost, because Nines had all the intensity of a storm in a bottle, glass prison threatening to shatter at any moment. Something hidden in Gavin ignited at the way Nines' face twitched, only just managing to stay neutral. Nines didn't need to use force to intimidate Gavin in just the right way. The detective's protests died in his throat, any notion of arguing lost. The android hadn't needed to touch Gavin to overpower him. When Nines turned without another word and strode out of the station, fury quickening his pace, Gavin followed.

They made it all the way to the parking lot before Nines spun around, grabbing Gavin by both sides of the jacket in a way that was far rougher than the android had ever touched him before. It was always light touches, contact barely there. Never enough to scare the detective, or to hurt him.

This time, Nines pressed his balled-up, fabric-fill fists against Gavin's chest, shoving him backwards until he was pinned between the aggressively tall android and the side of the building.

"Let me go," Gavin grunted, trying to sound tougher than he felt. It didn't work, exhaustion spreading through the words until he just sounded resigned. "Fuck you, Nines, let me go!"

There was a long, tense moment where Gavin couldn't tell what the android was going to do. Then his fists unclenched, flattening against the detective's chest in a way that still kept him restrained, but far less aggressively.

"Why do you insist on dama--hurting yourself, detective?" Nines' tone is too soft, too pained, and his hard, intimidating expression slips. He looks…bewildered. Hurt. Vulnerable. Gavin doesn't have an answer.

Because it makes me feel better.

But that was a lie, wasn't it? Slamming his fists against walls and provoking people he actually wouldn't mind being on almost-friendly terms with into hitting him didn't make him feel better. It just felt…justified. A punishment, of sorts. What he deserved for being a such a shitty person who has pushed everyone who might care about him away because he knows they're too good for the massive fuck-up that is Detective Gavin Reed.

He shoves the android's chest, hard, but Nines barely sways.

"I'm not going anywhere, Gavin." Nines threatened. Except it didn't actually sound like a threat; it sounded like a promise.

Gavin had to look away. If he kept staring at the undisguised affection in the android's face, he was going to…to…

To cry. The tears were already chasing hot trails down his cold cheeks, unbidden and unstoppable. His face turned hot with embarrassment, but Nines' hands ran lightly up his chest, fingertips brushing his throat, settling on his face. Large, soft thumbs wiped at the tears that just kept flowing down Gavin's cheeks, warm palms cupping his jaw as the rest of Nines' fingers stroked the back of his neck.

Fight or flight, fight or flight, fight or--Gavin collapsed forward, burying his wet face into Nines' chest. Nines' arms slid around to rest gently on his back. When he pulled away, the android's shirt would be soaked through with tears and blood, but Gavin pushed the thought from his mind. It wasn't difficult, the warmth radiating from Nines' embrace soaking through to his core. Comfortable. Safe. Undeserved, but so, so good.


End file.
